Timber Mesa Hiking

This trail is considered moderate for its 7.6 mile length, but easy for its relative lack of difficulty and a good nature walk if you’re staying in nearby Pinetop. This loop goes through both solitary trails and often ATV-packed forest roads, so it’s best to come either in the morning or the weekdays when you’ll get the most out of what this diverse trail has to offer.

Along the trail, you’ll skirt the mesa’s edge and go through full forests that shift between shaded junipers and pines to felled timber areas that provide portions of full sun. The forest road also has plenty to see, as you’ll pass by the Jaques Marsh that harbors a riparian area and a variety of birdlife in undisturbed days. You’ll also come across what’s left of early pioneer homesteads in still standing stone chimneys, a well maintained log cabin, and the remnants of a long gone sawmill that give a moment to pause and appreciate a slice of Arizona history hidden in the woods.